Cover Image: Well Matched

Well Matched

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Member Reviews

this is cute! if you love the tried and true fake dating trope, along with a ‘there's only one bed’ situation, then this is the book for you! if you want an ever reliable fake dating story, you will want to pick this up. its quick and light and gets the job done.

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I LOVE the Renaissance Faire so the Well Met series has been a favorite of mine for a while now. Well Matched is such a great addition to the first two stories and mixes that fun, flirty, and sexy romance so flawlessly with the quirky and exciting world of the Ren Faire.

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Ugh, I truly wanted to love this book, but it just did not feel as part of the series. I have loved the previous two books, especially the chemistry among the characters, but the main character being as mature in age as she was, she was kind of emotionally immature. Honestly, kind of whiny and so moody, everything seemed like an instant battle. I appreciate the attempt in moving the series towards a more relatable story for other readers, but it just fell a bit flat. I just did not feel a true connection and there was sooooooooo much miscommunication, stop it we are too old for that. Love the author and the previous books, but this one just wasn't for me.

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This is book 3 in the Well Met series, and I think it best to read the series in order.

Trope: older woman with an easy-on-the-eyes younger man. Well done with this one!

I have heard the first books of this series are good, and well, I liked this one, so there’s that! I will go back and read the others as well, and update my review if it sways my thoughts afterwards.

I loved that April was a single mom and older- it is nice to see characters in cute roms that are out of their twenties (it can happen, authors take note DeLuca does this well!).

April agrees to pretend to be Mitch’s girlfriend at a family gathering to keep everyone off his back (shocking, I know!) about settling down and it leads to some great scenes in this Rom Com.

Also: who knew I would like and find humor in the Ren Faire setting?! I guess it must be Mitch. ;) Too bad there wasn’t even more of that setting in this one! Perhaps in the next novel! ;)

Love it! Read it!

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I have not met a book by this author that I did not like. As a fan of the Renaissance festival myself, these books always feel like a little piece of home. I can picture the characters in their performances and every couple is so endearing and funny. I love how the author navigates humor with these characters still facing their own insecurities and problems. This author is definitely an auto buy!

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Towards the start of this book, I was loving the Gilmore girl vibes and really enjoyed the plot but within a very short time, they were already making plans to fake date. I love a slow burn and I am sorry but this lacked any kind of angst I was craving.

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I loved this!! Awww Mitch and April are the cutest. I think they are my favorite couple out of the series. I still love the first book the best because it really captured the magic of Ren Faire.

However, I loved the emotional journey and growth April went through in this book. Seeing her put herself out there and come out of her shell at Ren Faire was one of my favorite part of the story. It takes a lot to say I’m going to join in, I’m going to go all in so I can really be with the people I love and understand their world. There’s a lot about April I related to, so that chapter really tugged at my heart.

I felt the romantic anticipation dragged for a too long though. Mitch seems to know April so well but he took his sweet time to actually verbally declare his feelings for her. And that seemed pretty out of character with the rest if his personality. He just kept hinting at her and while it’s obvious to the reader, he knows that April lives a very private life. And that she’s been hurt and betrayed deeply before so why make her guess if what’s going on between them is real or pretend. This got a little tiring in the second half of the book. However, the ending was sweet and I liked how events played out. I think the author made the right choice in how the “big gesture” happened.

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I am loving this series so much now!

The first one was not my favorite, but I have warmed up to these characters and their Renaissance festival and am 100% invested now. I can’t wait for the fourth book!

April and Mitch might be my favorite couple so far. I was so frustrated with April and her hermit ways throughout the book, but I also could totally understand where she was coming from. I say get you some though, April. Screw the chatty Cathy’s in town! They’re just jealous they aren’t having their ways with the local hunk!

Bring on whoever’s love story is next with this series! I’m hoping for Mitch’s cousin, Lulu! 😍

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @berkleypub for the arc! I’m sorry it took me so long, but I loved it!

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Can I start by saying that even though I’m not a ren faire person, I am absolutely here for all of the summers in Willow Creek Jen DeLuca wants to write for us? I even remember finishing the second book in this series, and hoping this one would be April and Mitch’s story.

I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED, YA’LL. NOT EVEN A LITTLE. Mitch was perfection in a book boyfriend, and this is definitely one of those books I’ll forever wish I could go back and read again for the first time.

We’ve seen glimpses of both April and Mitch in the other two books in the <i>Well Met</i> series, but getting to know them both on a deeper level brough so much depth to their characters.
April has always come off a bit standoffish, and Mitch, well…he’s the flirty giant who everyone, including his family sees as the young guy who doesn’t take anything serious. And that includes April.

When these two run into each other and Mitch steps in to save April from a creep at the bar, an unlikely friendship forms, and Mitch agrees to help April renovate her house so she can sell when her daughter, Caitlin leaves for college in a few months.

Turns out Mitch also needs a little favor: a fake-girlfriend to save him from his family.

As these two get to know each other, of course the lines get a little blurry on whether their relationship is real or fake, but honestly, I don’t know that there’s a woman alive who wouldn’t fall in love with Mitch.

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Loved reconnecting with these characters and the Ren Faire. It is wonderful to see the continuations of the story, see the back-stories completed, and just revisit one of my favorite series. If you haven't read, it's a must!

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This fun, fast paced small town romance is heartwarming. April is a single mother who is soon to be an empty nester when her daughter graduates high school and leaves for college. As she fixes up her house to get it ready to sell, Mitch offers to help her in exchange for her being his fake girlfriend at a family function. As they work together their friendship and chemistry grows despite April’s determination to not let her guard down. Although this is the third in a series, it is the first I’ve read but I will go back and read the others. This was a relatable and enjoyable escape and the Ren Faire elements added interest to the story and connections with other characters.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I liked this one soooo much more than the previous books. I found April wonderfully human and relatable! And a breath of fresh air after the more extroverted Stacey and weird romance plot of Well Played. This is a well written and structured romcom that is actually mostly serious. DeLuca is a great writer, she sets the scene and disappears behind her story.

Thanks NetGalley and Berkeley for an ecopy to read and review.

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YA’LL. I cannot with these two. Mitch and April are just such fantastic characters, and I love them together SO MUCH. Sure, there’s the fake dating trope, but it is actually SO MUCH MORE. I loved that despite his bravado, Mitch actually has a lot of insecurities and he’s not afraid to be vulnerable with April. I loved that April is not your typical romance heroine, and I loved seeing Mitch prove to her that she still deserves happiness and joy in her life. I loved seeing April realize that she has more in her life than she believed.

This book is just so ripe with emotion and depth — and yes, plenty of heat and humor. WELL MATCHED was simply a joy to read, and I am only sad it couldn’t be longer, because I just adored spending time with Mitch and April and being back in Willow Creek.

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Thank you NetGalley, Berkley, and Jen Deluca for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! This is the third book in the Well Met series that follows a Ren Faire setting and the people participating. I enjoyed the tropes in this one and also Mitch as a love interest. However, I really wasn’t the biggest fan of April. It was super entertaining and funny! There were some things I didn’t like, but I recommend it for fans of the original two books :)

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Who would have guessed I would love a Ren-Faire series as much as I do?? Considering I have never actually attended one. Well Matched might be my favorite book in this series, but I think I have said that every time Jen DeLuca has released a new one! I have loved Mitch and April since the onset of this series, so I loved seeing them together. I'm a huge fan of the older woman with the hot younger man. And this book does that trope well. The chemistry between them was amazing. And of course I'm a sucker for fake dating. In addition to their story, I loved being back in this community and back at the Ren Faire. Can't wait to read this next book in this series! I can't recommend these books enough. SO GOOD!!

Single mother April Parker has lived in Willow Creek for twelve years with a wall around her heart. On the verge of being an empty nester, she’s decided to move on from her quaint little town, and asks her friend Mitch for his help with some home improvement projects to get her house ready to sell.

Mitch Malone is known for being the life of every party, but mostly for the attire he wears to the local Renaissance Faire—a kilt (and not much else) that shows off his muscled form to perfection. While he agrees to help April, he needs a favor too: she'll pretend to be his girlfriend at an upcoming family dinner, so that he can avoid the lectures about settling down and having a more “serious” career than high school coach and gym teacher. April reluctantly agrees, but when dinner turns into a weekend trip, it becomes hard to tell what's real and what's been just for show. But when the weekend ends, so must their fake relationship.

As summer begins, Faire returns to Willow Creek, and April volunteers for the first time. When Mitch's family shows up unexpectedly, April pretends to be Mitch's girlfriend again...and it doesn't feel so fake anymore. Despite their obvious connection, April insists they’ve just been putting on an act. But when there’s the chance for something real, she has to decide whether to change her plans—and open her heart—for the kilt-wearing hunk who might just be the love of her life.

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I've been a huge fan of the Well Met books since reading the first installment. Well Matched is another great addition to the series that I thoroughly enjoyed!

I really enjoyed this in-depth look at April. While we get glimpses of her in the previous two books, it’s great to see life from her perspective. She’s struggling with sending Caitlin off to college, and finding love is last on her list. She’s timid and introverted but she’s also so full of life — she just happens to be a bit guarded.

Mitch is such a fun character, which is no surprise. While he’s been a favourite of mine in the previous two books, it grew exponentially with this book. He’s funny and entertaining but we also get to see a more serious side to him in this book which is great.

The dynamic between April and Mitch is wonderful. It keeps you turning the page, hoping for the best. Plus, the addition of a fake dating situation makes it so entertaining. I loved seeing Mitch interact with his family and let April see this different side of him.

There are so many things I enjoyed about this book. The chemistry, the humour, and the depth of the characters are wonderful. The overall storyline is really enjoyable and is even better with the Renaissance Faire theme. It’s just so fun being back in the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire world!

Overall, Well Matched is a great addition to the series. It’s full of heart and humour, but also full of emotional moments. It’s a story of second chances and finding true happiness. I can't wait for the next book in this series — Jen DeLuca is certainly solidifying herself as one of my favourite authors!

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I took a break from holiday books to read the latest in a series that I’ve really enjoyed. Well Matched is the third book in the Well Met series.

Welcome back to the Ren Faire! Mitch is known for how well he wears a kilt in the Willow Creek Renaissance Faire each year. April is the mother of Kaitlin, who we met in the first book. She’s getting read to be an empty nester and wants to move away dem Willow Creek. She enlists Mitch’s help to prepare to put her house on the market. In exchange, she has to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family party to convince his family he’s serious about his life and career choice. April whines that she isn’t a part of Kaitlin’s life, but has never made any attempt to participate in school activities or the Ren Faire. She only volunteers at the Faire when she’s trying to impress Mitch.

Fake dating is definitely my least favorite romcom trope and this concept was just stretched too far for me. It drove me a little nuts that April couldn’t just enjoy the relationship with Mitch rather than constantly be concerned with their age difference. She was so wrapped up in other people’s opinions of her and this part was just so frustrating.

I really liked this series, but this one was just okay for me. I loved Mitch who was just genuinely himself. April was just an okay leading lady who needed to grow up herself.

Thank you to @berkleypub and @netgalley for my gifted copy. I’m looking forward to the 4th part of this series, Well Traveled!

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Loved this book. It was the third book in the series, so you should read the other two because there are characters interwoven throughout the story. Loved the characters, storyline, and development of the story. And who doesn't love a man in a kilt,

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Well Matched was LOVELY! Jen DeLuca is so great at writing a great romance between great characters, and I love Mitch so much. I've been so excited about this book! I always love her Ren Faire setting and the surrounding town. It was fun to say hi to the couples from the previous books, too. I did feel that Well Matched was a little less rom-com and a little more women's fiction, but it didn't bother me. There's still a lot of swoons, but there's also a big focus on April and her personal journey. Her life is shifting, she's a single mom about to become an empty nester, and she's looking ahead at a future she's not sure about. Her daughter's father is trying to reconnect with her daughter, so she's also dealing with that uneasiness as to how to keep her daughter emotionally safe and also let her connect with her parent. As I said before, I love Mitch. I also love fake dating, so this silly little fake girlfriend scheme of Mitch's adds some lightness to the heavier issues underneath it all. I loved seeing Mitch's more sensitive and intuitive side. He's there for April as a friend, helping her when he can, and I loved that serious, protective part of his personality. Up to this point, he'd just been the flirty man in the kilt to me. His family dynamic was also super interesting to read about. All in all, this was very sweet and enjoyable and I can't wait for what Jen DeLuca does next!

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Not an April fan. Though, Mitch is super pure and fun. However this one was not as great as the first and I found that the issues April faced were, well she was not very likeable

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